4 Cryptocurrency Projects to Watch in 2018

Ah, if only we could hop into the DeLorean with the zany Doc to travel back to the future to predict the next big cryptocurrency project.

Then, we could go back to when Bitcoin was a humble idea that everyone huffed over. The initial coin offering (ICO) for Bitcoin back in 2009 didn’t amount to much. In fact, one user allegedly tried to peddle 10,000 of the coins for $50, but couldn’t find a buyer. Another is spent 10,000 BTC on a single pizza.

In March 2010, it finally had value – a whopping $US0.003 per coin. Today, the price fluctuates but as of July 30, 2018, a single BTC will set you back US$8,141.95. That would make that pizza cost $81,419,500 today. Great Scott!

Longing for time travel won't deliver us BTC at the original price it was listed, but we can cast our eyes forward at the new fintech and cryptocurrency platforms that are set to deliver big rewards in the future.

Have you heard about the Internet of Things? If you haven’t, it’s time to. Essentially, this concept is the march of technology that is incorporating internet functionality into objects that were once just analogue ‘things’. Cars, fridges, sprinkler systems, lights – even entire buildings are becoming 'smart' technology, thanks to IoT.

IOTA is the coin designed to target the IoT and the bountiful reams of data processing that will be involved in its evolution.

Where currencies like Bitcoin can be obtained by mining crypto using personal computers, IOTA actually wants to do away with mining and the blockchain concept entirely.

Plenty of investors are backing IOTA's potential and it delivered a whopping 614,934 percent return for them in 2017 if they jumped on board when the ICO was launched in 2013.

Almost as soon as Bitcoin had hit the crypto market, developers got to work on new platforms and ways to improve on blockchain and the digital currency market. And NXT was one of these.

Originally, NXT was a developer blockchain that was designed to do more than just record transactions. It was designed to be a brand new network that other crypto coin creators could use to develop their blockchains. This included a modular toolset that gave developers the keys to create new applications for the NXT Network.

The result? NXT now offers a range of features that other cryptocurrencies do not, including a decentralised asset exchange, marketplace and voting system.

This has translated to enormous success on the crypto exchange with the platform delivering a 500,000 percent return for investors in 2017.

On the local front in Australia, Liven is one of the main contenders in the cryptocurrency market, serving up digital currency rewards through doing something we need and love to do, EAT.

Dubbed as the cryptocurrency for everyday use, by everday people, this platform dishes out rewards as the app’s official cryptocurrency called LivenCoin (LVN). LivenCoin can be used and mined through using the the Liven dining rewards app to purchase food. At it's core, LivenCoin's purpose is to bring the value and innovation of blockchain technology for mainstream adoption.

The app has over 220,000 users and there are over 1000 participating venues where you can use the app to dine and earn LVN off of every transaction.